Alumni Profiles

Jacqueline Antonetti Moreno

Pilon School of BusinessYear of Graduation: 2012Program: International Business

Inspiring Change

In the summer of 2011, Jacqueline Antonetti Moreno and her family left their lives in Venezuela behind and arrived in Canada with nine suitcases, lots of hope and a bit of fear. But Venezuela had become a dangerous place to live - definitely not suited to raising children, according to Jacqueline who immigrated with her husband and twin daughters, then just over a year old.

There were many challenges, especially during the first year in Canada, she says. “Being new to a country is almost like being born again. There is much to learn in so little time.”

Like countless newcomers to Canada, Jacqueline had no family in this country, no income and no Canadian work experience. But she did bring years of communications and marketing experience. Given her background, Jacqueline turned to Sheridan’s International Business program which complemented her skills and included a co-op component which was key to gaining entry into the Canadian workforce.

It seemed like a natural progression for Jacqueline to help smooth the transition for other newcomers after graduating in 2012. Taking her communications expertise and personal experience, she created the http://jaminspira.com/ which provides inspiration and resources to other immigrants facing settlement challenges.

“Being immigrants is a wonderful opportunity to reinvent ourselves,” says Jacqueline who encourages people to focus on opportunities rather than obstacles. “The fear of not having a job in your field can open you up to new career choices in an area that you always dreamed of but didn’t have the courage to pursue.”

Jacqueline soon realized that not only newcomers seek guidance in making challenging transitions. As a personal coach and speaker, she now motivates both immigrants and people from all backgrounds to believe in themselves and realize their potential. Based in Burlington, Ontario, Jacqueline conducts most of her work online through Skype with clients in Europe and Venezuela.

A powerful factor in anyone’s quest for success, regardless of their circumstance, is emotional strength, she says. “Who can see opportunities when they feel emotionally weak? Who can move forward when they don’t believe they’re good enough?”

So Jacqueline’s role as a coach is to help people access their own resources and answers within; and with that, they map out their own life plan, she explains. “I don’t tell my clients what to do; I just help them find their own answers. To get started it’s important to have a clear vision of what you want and why, not necessarily how you will achieve it.”

Much of Jacqueline’s advice can be found in her #1 Amazon Canada bestselling ebook “De soñarlo a lograrlo” (Spanish for “From Dreaming It to Achieving It”) which is currently being translated into English.

A strong believer in the strength of cultural diversity, Jacqueline has also developed a program to guide corporations through the process of integrating cultures to boost their teams’ creativity and results.

Jacqueline’s own goal-setting led her back to Sheridan in 2013 when she completed English Language Training. “My husband also studied English here and my daughters attended daycare on campus,” she recalls. My experience at Sheridan was so good, we became a Sheridan family.”

Over 3,000 students from 70+ countries are creating their future at Sheridan.